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Review Revisted: For de Cana Grand Reserve 7 yr old Rum

I mentioned at the start of the new year that I would be revisiting some of my first reviews. When I opened this website I initially published 26 rum reviews that I had previously posted or published on other websites. Some of these reviews were rather amateurish and as I have grown as a reviewer it seemed to me to more fair to these spirits if I would revisit them, and do another series of tastings based upon the knowledge I have acquired to date. This is the first of these revisited reviews.

Flor de Cana Grand Reserve 7 yr old Rum

First a little background on the company responsible for this great rum:

For five generations beginning in 1890, the Pellas family has produced rum in Nicaragua. The first distillery in was built in Chichigalpa at the San Antonio sugar mill.

The Compania de Licorera de Nicaragua was created in 1937 as separate company within the Sugar Plantation to market and sell the rum abroad and the Flor de Cana brand was born. Today the company boasts some of the largest aged stocks of rum in the world, and with its unique “slow aged” process produces some of the finest rums in the world.

There are a few reasons why I believe For de Cana has to some degree separated themselves from the field in the production of rum. The first is the source of sugar cane which is in the fields next to their plantation. Having a ready supply of cane for molasses, which they control, means not buying from third parties who may or may not be consistent in their standards of production. The second is the small white oak barrels used for aging the premium rums. Smaller barrels give the rum fuller contact with the wood during aging allowing the oak to more fully impart its flavour to the rum. These barrels are additionally topped up to full each year with stocks of rum which are the same age as the rum already in the barrel, again ensuring more rum to wood contact. The third reason is the honest age statements on their bottles of rum. Flor de Cana clearly label their bottles with an age statement which recognizes the youngest rum in the blend, not the oldest. This practice flies in the face of competing brands who like to place an age statement on the bottle recognizing the oldest rum in the blend.

I should point out that the Compania de Licorera de Nicaragua is also a leader in producing their products in a most efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Carbon dioxide emissions from the production of rum are captured and used in the production of carbonized beverages; the plantation utilizes an extensive recycling program for cardboard, metal, glass and paper; and the plant produces electricity for other industrial uses in their processing of the sugar cane.